Presently, stores and other businesses that want to ensure that assets are not removed from a particular site must attach a sensor tag to the asset. If the asset has authorization to be removed, then the sensor tag is removed by an authorized personnel. Sensors are employed at a point of egress so that assets which do not have the sensor tag removed will set off an alarm indicating that the asset is being removed without authorization. These prior art systems employ a boundary gate. Stores apply sensor tags to each piece of merchandise. When the merchandise is bought, a store clerk removes the sensor tag with a tool designed specifically for the task. If the tag is not removed, a sensor at a point of egress will set off an alarm indicating that a piece of merchandise has been taken across the boundary gate (most likely without being purchased).
This process requires each piece of merchandise to be tagged and also requires the merchandise to pass through a particular boundary gate to ensure detection of unauthorized removal. While this process may be effective in detecting unauthorized removal of an object through the boundary gate, it does not help one locate an object that has moved and does not easily allow detection when an object passes an arbitrary closed boundary.
There is, therefore, a need for a method and system for assigning an object to a bounded selected area and detecting when the object has been removed across any boundary line of the selected area.